MADRID: Spain will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participates according to public broadcaster RTVE, which selects the country’s entry for the event.
Spain becomes the first major funding nation among the “big five” countries to threaten withdrawal from the competition over Israel’s participation.
The European Broadcasting Union will decide whether Israeli public broadcaster KAN can participate in the 2026 edition during its general assembly in December.
RTVE stated it would have to carry out its threat of withdrawing from the contest for the first time in history if EBU members decide to keep Israel as a participant.
This decision follows Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun’s statement that Spain should boycott the event due to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez previously stated Israel should be excluded from Eurovision just as Russia was excluded following its invasion of Ukraine.
Sanchez emphasised that double standards in culture cannot be allowed regarding participation in international events.
The prime minister recently called for Israel to be barred from international sports following pro-Palestinian protests that disrupted the Vuelta a Espana cycling race.
Demonstrators had protested against the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in one of cycling’s top three international races.
Eurovision remains the world’s largest live televised music event, drawing 166 million viewers across 37 countries during this year’s edition in Basel.
Austrian singer JJ won the most recent competition, securing Vienna as the host city for the 2026 edition.
Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have also threatened to withdraw from next year’s event if Israel participates.
The five major funding nations including Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain receive automatic qualification for the Eurovision final.
The EBU launched a consultation with all members in July regarding the issue of Israel’s participation in future events.
The broadcasting union stated it would discuss how to manage participation and geopolitical tensions while examining how other organisations handled similar challenges.
Pro-Palestinian activists previously protested in Malmo, Sweden during the 2024 event and in Basel, Switzerland in May over Israel’s participation. – AFP
